Caelian Hill

The Caelius is one of the seven hills of Rome, rising about 50 metres southeast of the Palatine. Inhabited from Etruscan times, it was according to tradition populated by Tullus Hostilius with defeated Albans and became a smart residential quarter under the Republic. After the great fire of AD 64 Nero built part of his Domus Aurea on its slopes. Today the hill is the quietest stretch of ancient Rome and home to some of the city's most important early Christian churches, including Santi Giovanni e Paolo, San Clemente and Santo Stefano Rotondo. The Villa Celimontana hides a charming park with a former Mattei obelisk. Skip the Forum-Colosseum crowds and find Roman paving and Romanesque bell towers under the pines instead.